Mayor announces Beam Park developer delivering 3,000 new homes

22 January 2016

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson has chosen a developer to create a new neighbourhood on a derelict former Ford factory plant in East London. This is the last major site to be released by the Mayor and meets his manifesto pledge to put in place a plan for all surplus City Hall developable land by the end of his term in 2016.

Countryside Properties (UK) Ltd with London and Quadrant Housing Trust (L&Q) will take forward the regeneration of Beam Park, delivering over 3,000 homes, a new train station on the C2C line and community facilities on the 29 hectre site which sits alongside the River Beam. The homes set to be delivered will be mixed tenure and over 35 per cent affordable, including a significant proportion of shared ownership to be marketed at the local community first.

The disused factory site was more recently used for the dress rehearsal of the opening ceremony of the 2012 Olympic & Paralympic Games and formed the back drop to the popular British film ‘Made in Dagenham’.

Beam Park is the one of the last of the 414 hectares of developable land transferred to the Mayor that have all been released for development and include derelict brownfield sites which are being transformed into much needed new homes and facilities. These include four disused hospitals, including one which also served as a Victorian workhouse, a former Parcelforce depot, and a flour mill within London’s Royal Docks set to become a thriving new business district. In particular, the Mayor has pioneered releasing land for purpose-designed, professionally managed private rental units, alongside shared ownership for first time buyers and affordable housing. The land released will see major regeneration in places like Greenwich, Barking, Newham and Croydon.

The Mayor pledged to release all City Hall-owned unused land for development by the end of his mayoral term in 2016. In total the land sites will result in:

50,000 new homes being built

1.5 million square metres of work and office space being created.

14 news schools and 11 new parks spanning the breadth of 61 football pitches.

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson MP said: “Four years ago this impressive site hid one of the biggest secrets ahead of the Olympic and Paralympic Games when it was used for opening ceremony rehearsals and is now set to be transformed into a thriving new neighbourhood. As well as much needed new homes of every tenure, the brand new station will whisk residents into central London in record time, and the development will include mass green public space along the River Beam. The 29 hectare site celebrates a key milestone for City Hall as it marks the final land release for development of over 400 hectres of surplus land owned by the authority, delivering thousands of homes, offices, new schools and parks across the city. “

Countryside Properties (UK) Ltd with L&Q were selected from a shortlist of four developers as part of the London Development Panel procurement process, which was set up by the Mayor to accelerate the delivery of housing in London.

Richard Cherry from Countryside Properties (UK) Ltd said: “Countryside and L&Q are delighted to have been selected for this hugely important scheme which will spearhead the regeneration of the London Riverside Opportunity Area. We look forward to working with the GLA, the London Boroughs of Barking and Dagenham, and Havering to transform Beam Park into a well-connected, sustainable place for people to live, work and socialise.”

The new train station will be open by 2020 and will commute local residents to central London in 20 minutes. It will support the Mayor’s wider aspirations to improve employment opportunities in the area. The redevelopment will include improved routes for pedestrians and cyclists and two energy centres delivering savings for residents. The brownfield site spans the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham and the London Borough of Havering.

Leader of Barking and Dagenham Council, Cllr Darren Rodwell, said: “It is becoming evident that London is moving east and Barking and Dagenham, as London’s growth opportunity, has a crucial role to play in meeting London’s increasing housing and infrastructure needs. Beam Park is one of six growth hubs in our borough which will deliver in total 35,000 homes and 10,000 jobs. This scheme will provide some much needed regeneration and investment to south Dagenham, creating a vibrant and exciting new neighbourhood which will also benefit the existing community and wider area. We are pleased to welcome Countryside Properties (UK) Ltd and London and Quadrant Housing Trust (L&Q) on board for what we believe is a very exciting development.”

Councillor Roger Ramsay, Leader of Havering Council, said: “This is great news in taking forward the regeneration of Rainham and Beam Park, in addition to the recent announcement of funding for a new train station and the go ahead to begin design work on the A1306. Along with huge investment in housing and infrastructure, I firmly believe the time has come to transform this very important part of Havering and East London. This project will deliver new employment opportunities for local people,

high-quality residential homes and green spaces, and ultimately create a sustainable community for Beam Park.”

Beam Park sits within the London Riverside Opportunity Area, which aims for the creation of 26,500 new homes and up to 16,000 jobs across the boroughs of Barking and Dagenham and Havering. Other major GLA land redevelopments include the Royal Docks in east London, the 10.6 hectare Stephenson Street site near West Ham station and the 40 hectare industrial land portfolio in London Riverside.

Notes to editors

Following a planning application in 2016, a site start is targeted for early 2017 which would see the first homes delivered in Summer 2018.

Beam Park rail station will provide a rapid 20-minute link into Fenchurch Street in the heart of the City, giving residents a quick trip into work and also encouraging businesses to move into the area. The station is fully funded and will be built in partnership with Network Rail, Transport for London and C2C Rail, and has been awarded £9 million from TfL’s Growth Fund. The Fund is designed to provide targeted investment in transport improvements to help unlock regeneration areas across the Capital, in instances where funding is difficult to secure from other sources.